Ibn Battuta — "The women of this land are very beautiful, but they paint their faces with a whi…"
The women of this land are very beautiful, but they paint their faces with a white paste that makes them look like ghosts.
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More from Ibn Battuta
"The inhabitants of this country are all polytheists, and they worship idols. They have a temple where they perform their rites."
"The women of this country are very attractive, and they do not cover their faces."
"The people of this country are very fond of wrestling, and they hold contests every day."
"I set out alone finding no companion to cheer the way with friendly intercourse. and no party of travelers with whom to associate."
"The women of this country do not veil themselves, and they are not shy. They are very beautiful."
About Ibn Battuta (1304-1369)
Moroccan Muslim scholar and explorer whose Rihla (travels) covered ~75,000 miles across the Islamic world from Mali to China — the most-traveled person of the medieval world. Closely associated with Marco Polo (his Venetian counterpart, traveling 50 years earlier in the opposite direction). For an intellectual contrast, see medieval European Christian insularity, the sheltered monastic-feudal worldview of 14th-century Latin Christendom — Ibn Battuta's 30-year journey demonstrates that the 14th-century Dar al-Islam was a single intellectual ecosystem from West Africa to Beijing, while medieval Europe was still tribal and parochial. The cleanest 'connectedness vs insularity' contrast in pre-modern history — Battuta could find a familiar Maliki judge in any city from Mali to Sumatra.